This is the tentative October program payment schedule (always subject to change)...

CRP/CREP contracts from 2008 Farm Bill and prior - October 2

2023 ARC-CO and PLC payments, if triggered - October 7

CRP/CREP contracts from 2014 Farm Bill and forward - October 9

The U.S. Government must be open and funded. As per statute, once funds have been released for payments, FSA has 30 days to process each payment, meaning payments could hit your bank account in November and are considered timely.

All Carroll County producers of grass/grass mixes of forage hay and/or pasture who would like to obtain the equivalent of catastrophic loss level crop insurance (for losses due to natural disaster 50% or greater) are reminded of the application deadline of September 30, 2024 for crop year 2025 crops.  There is an administrative fee of $325 per crop,*not to exceed $825 per county and $1950 per producer.  The administrative fee must be paid at the time of application. Buy-up coverage is also available, with premiums due by a later date. (As mentioned above, alfalfa and alfalfa mixes have coverage available through crop insurance and you should discuss with a crop insurance agent.) Coverage could be required for the Farm Storage Facility Program and certain disaster programs, such as Emergency Relief Program (ERP/ERP 2022).

The acreage report would need to be submitted to the county office by July 15, 2025, showing the physical location of the acreage, the type, and variety of each crop, the producer's share, and the names of all producers with a share in the crop(s).

For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov/nap or call the Carroll County FSA Office at 410-848-2780 x 2.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing the launch of the Debt Consolidation Tool, an innovative online tool available through farmers.gov that allows agricultural producers to enter their farm operating debt and evaluate the potential savings that might be provided by obtaining a debt consolidation loan with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) or a local lender. 

“Providing producers with options to structure their debt in a manner that affords them every opportunity to meet the goals of their agricultural operation is the best way to ensure the nation’s farmers and ranchers build financial equity and resilience,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux.  

A debt consolidation loan is a new loan used to pay off other existing operating loans or lines of credit that might have unreasonable rates and terms. By combining multiple eligible debts into a single, larger loan, borrowers may obtain more favorable payment terms such as a lower interest rate or lower payments. Consolidating debt may also provide farmers and ranchers additional cash flow flexibilities.  

The Debt Consolidation Tool is a significant addition to FSA’s suite of improvements designed to modernize its Farm Loan Programs. The tool enhances customer service and increases opportunities for farmers and ranchers to achieve financial viability by helping them identify potential savings that could be reinvested in their farming and ranching operation, retirement accounts, or college savings accounts.  

Producers can access the Debt Consolidation Tool by visiting farmers.gov/debt-consolidation-tool. The tool is built to run on modern browsers including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or the Safari browser. Producers do not need to create a farmers.gov account or access the authenticated customer portal to use the tool. 

Additional Farm Loan Programs Improvements  

FSA recently announced significant changes to Farm Loan Programs through the Enhancing Program Access and Delivery for Farm Loans rule. These policy changes, to take effect September 25, 2024, are designed to better assist borrowers to make strategic investments in the enhancement or expansion of their agricultural operations.   

FSA also has a significant initiative underway to streamline and automate the Farm Loan Program customer-facing business process. For the over 26,000 producers who submit a direct loan application annually, FSA has made several impactful improvements including:  

• The Loan Assistance Tool that provides customers with an interactive online, step-by-step guide to identifying the direct loan products that may be a fit for their business needs and to understanding the application process. 
• The Online Loan Application, an interactive, guided application that is paperless and provides helpful features including an electronic signature option, the ability to attach supporting documents such as tax returns, complete a balance sheet, and build a farm operating plan.  
• An online direct loan repayment feature that relieves borrowers from the necessity of calling, mailing, or visiting a local USDA Service Center to pay a loan installment.  
• A simplified direct loan paper application, reduced from 29 pages to 13 pages.  
• A new educational hub with farm loan resources and videos.  

USDA encourages producers to reach out to their local FSA farm loan staff to ensure they fully understand the wide range of loan and servicing options available to assist with starting, expanding, or maintaining their agricultural operation. To conduct business with FSA, please contact your local USDA Service Center or the FSA farm loan staff at the Frederick County FSA Office - 301-662-1321 x 2.

Carrie-Ann Houdeshell is a Grazing Land Co-Lead for the  Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), an effort led by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to evaluate and inform voluntary conservation across the nation’s working lands. In this Ask the Expert, Carrie-Ann answers questions about recent findings on three key grazing land conservation practices, new resources to assist data-driven conservation decision making across the nation’s non-federal grazing land and federal rangeland, and NRCS programs and services to support ranchers and other land managers in pursuing voluntary conservation.

Let’s start with the basics: When we talk about “grazing land,” what is included? 

Grazing land is a collective term that includes rangeland, pastureland, grazed forests, native and naturalized pasture, hayland, and grazed cropland. All 50 states have grazing land, and the national grazing land footprint is incredible – approximately 40 percent of all land across the United States. That includes more than 580 million acres of private land and more than 390 million acres of land managed by federal agencies. 

Ranchers and other land managers use grazing land to feed and raise livestock, providing food and fiber for the United States and beyond. Through their stewardship, grazing land also delivers a suite of ecosystem services – like water conservation, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration – that benefit us all.  

Read more about grazing lands.